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The Secrets of the Seats of Clan Buchanan Main
As one of Scotland’s more prominent families, Clan Buchanan has a fascinating history, with plenty of stories woven throughout the clan’s history. There’s plenty of stories to tell - and we bet that if the castles of the clan could talk, they’d have the best stories of them all!
We’re taking a deep dive into some of the fascinating tales associated with the different castles in Clan Buchanan’s past. So, buckle up and prepare for a wild ride!
Buchanan Castle
Buchanan Castle was built in 1852-1858 as a replacement for Buchanan Auld House, the old seat of Clan Buchanan which was destroyed in a fire in 1852. As the old castle had been passed from Clan Buchanan to Clan Graham, the new Buchanan Castle was also the property of the Grahams, and they remained there until 1925 when they sold the house.
It was opened as a hotel during the 1930s, and a golf course was established in the grounds of the castle. There were plans for it to be developed as a residential estate in the ‘30s but plans for this were delayed with the outbreak of World War Two when it was requisitioned and used as a hospital.
When Buchanan Castle was a military hospital, it hosted some fascinating guests, including Hitler’s right-hand man, Rudolf Hess. Hess was Deputy Führer to Adolf Hitler. Appointed to that position in 1933, he served in that position until 1941, when he flew solo to Scotland.
It seems that he was trying to initiate peace negotiations with the British government.
Rather than trying to make contact with Churchill, Hess thought that the best route was to contact either General Ian Hamiltonor the Duke of Hamilton, (mistakenly) thinking that Hamilton was opposed to a war with Germany. An associate of Hess’ wrote to Hamilton in September 1940 requesting a meeting, but the letter was intercepted by MI5, and it wasn’t seen by Hamilton until March 1941.
Despite not hearing back from Hamilton, Hess decided to go ahead with his plan to fly to Scotland.
The flight to Scotland
Hess took off from the airfield at Augsburg-Haunstetten at 17:45 on 10 May 1941 in a Messerschmitt Bf 110, a two-seater twin-engine aircraft. He reached the coast of England, near the north eastern town of Bamburgh, at 20:58, but as it was still light upon his approach, he backtracked and zigzagged back and forth for 40 minutes until it grew dark.
Hess was tracked by numerous RAF aircraft, which tried and failed to intercept his plane several times. He continued his flight into Scotland at a high speed but couldn’t spot his destination of Dungavel House. Hess was nearly out of fuel by 22:35 when a plan from No. 141 Squadron RAF based at Ayr began pursuing him. Realising that he was nearly out of fuel, Hess climbed to 6,000 feet and parachuted out of the plane. The plane crashed roughly 12 miles west of Dungavel House, and Hess injured his foot either as he tried to exit the aircraft, or when he hit the ground.
Hess’ capture
Hess crash-landed at Floors Farm in Eaglesham, south of Glasgow, where he was discovered by a local ploughman, David McLean. He identified himself as ‘Hauptmann Alfred Horn’, and said he had an important message to be delivered to the Duke of Hamilton.
Hess was moved to the Home Guard Headquarters in Busby, the local police station at Giffnock, and Maryhill Barracks before being transferred to the military hospital at Buchanan Castle. His true identity had been revealed by this point, as he’d been granted a meeting with Hamilton where Hess told him that he was “on a mission of humanity” and that Hitler “wished to stop the fighting”.
It’s not clear how long Hess remained at Buchanan Castle for, but it was certainly at least a few days, as he was visited several times by foreign affairs expert, Ivone Kirkpatrick.
From Buchanan Castle, Hess was transferred to the Tower of London, then to Mytchett Place in Surrey, also known as Camp Z, where he stayed for the next 13 months as a prisoner of war. He remained a prisoner of war for the rest of his life. He died by suicide in August 1987, aged 93.
Craigend Castle and the wild animals
Craigend Castle, in Milngavie (a small village just north of Glasgow) is now part of Mugdock Country Park, but it was once owned by Clan Buchanan.
In 1949, part of the estate was purchased by a Glaswegian businessman, Andrew Wilson, and his zoologist son, William, and they opened a zoo at Craigend Castle. There were several wild animals at the zoo including tigers, leopards, and elephants. It must have been some sight, seeing such exotic animals in the countryside just north of Glasgow!
It turns out that the zoo wasn’t particularly safe, though, as a young boy called Hugh McMurtie was severely mauled by a leopard, resulting in the loss of one of his arms.
Strangely, the zoo didn’t attract many visitors after that, and the zoo eventually closed in 1955.
So, there you go! Two quite different - but equally interesting - stories from two different seats of the Clan Buchanan. What a fascinating past this family has.
